Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, “Behold I come.”

Our minds, hearts, souls, and bodies should echo the words we hear in this psalm, “Here we are, Lord; we come to do your will.” The decision to let go of our will and choose to do God’s Will is one that shapes who we are. This is what Mary did when she said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” And these words should ever be on our lips, too. God wants our love, obedience, and good works and if we give Him these, then He will respond with His Love, Mercy, and Grace.

Are we doing God’s Will? How can we be more obedient to God’s commandments, teachings, and inspirations? What can we do to make our lives into living sacrifices of love for God and all His children?

O Lord, here we are, help us to do your will.

Amen.

Thirty-Second Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Remind them to be under the control of magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be open to every good enterprise. They are to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another.

As Christians, we are called to be good citizens, obedient to all legitimate authorities. We must be open to every good enterprise and ready to do every sort of good work. Although we should stand up for what is right and strive to change bad laws, we should do so through peaceful means. Not slandering our opponents, but rather being considerate and gracious toward all. We should have pity on those who have been led astray by their worldly desires and pleasures and seek to show them the right way to live without forcing them into the faith. We do this best by allowing God to think, speak, and work through us to bring about the conversion of sinners.

Are we being good citizens? Are we showing compassion even to those whom we most disagree with? How can we show others what it means to be a good Christian neighbor?

O Lord, make us into peaceable, considerate, and gracious citizens.

Amen.

Thirty-First Tuesday in Ordinary Time

Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and, found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Just like Jesus, we are all called to empty ourselves. We must rid ourselves of all the thoughts that keep us from being holy in mind. We must rid ourselves of all the passions that keep us from being holy in body. We must rid ourselves of all the selfish inclinations that keep us from being holy in spirit. We must be willing to humble ourselves and become obedient to God no matter what our obedience might cost us. We must bend our knees, give glory to God, and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord with our every thought, word, and work. If we do all these things, then our Heavenly Father will exalt us and bless us and save us.

How can we empty ourselves and become slaves to our Lord and God? In what ways can we cultivate humble hearts and obedient minds? Are we willing to bend the knee and trust in God’s Divine Plan?

O Lord, we empty ourselves before you and hope you will fill us with your graces.

Amen.

Thirtieth Wednesday in Ordinary Time

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on earth.

God calls us to obey our parents and to honor our fathers and mothers. This is sometime difficult to do, especially since our parents are all imperfect. Just like us, they are sinners, too. They have their blind spots and their blemishes and sometimes it can be hard to love them. They aren't always the best influences, either. However, we should always strive to honor them in the sense of loving them unconditionally and doing our best to obey them when it doesn't lead us into sin. Our relationship with our parents mirrors the relationship between God and us. Sometimes we are difficult to love. Sometimes we are sinners. Sometimes we are blind and blemished. Sometime we are not the best influences on others. Still, God loves us and so we should love our parents, too, in spite of their imperfections. For if we love them, then we will be better able to obey our Heavenly Father and Mother so our lives might go well and we might live forever and ever with God in Heaven.

Do we obey and honor our earthly fathers and mothers? What about our Heavenly Father and Mother? How can we become better children of both?

O Lord, we seek to obey and honor you, our Heavenly Mother, Mary, and the parents you've given us in this life.

Amen.

Second Thursday of Easter

But Peter and the Apostles said in reply, "We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

We must obey God rather than men... these words are ones the Apostles lived by and they are ones we should live by, too. God should come first and foremost in our lives. His commandments should be kept, His teachings followed, and His inspirations put into practice. Everything else should come second to what God wants from us. We are also called to be witnesses to these things and proclaim the good news to all who will listen. If we do these things, then we, like Christ, will be exulted.

Does God come first in our lives? Do we keep His commandments, follow his teachings, and enact His inspirations? Are we being the best witnesses to the faith we can be?

O Lord, help us to give witness to you in all things.

Amen.

Good Friday

In the days when Christ was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Jesus understands what it means to be tempted and to suffer and through these experiences he learned to resist evil and be obedient. His model is one we are all called to follow. Just like Jesus, we are asked to offer prayers and supplications to the one who can save us from death. We are asked to be reverent in our relationship with God and be willing to make our lives into sacrifices to God and for others. We might not be perfect like Jesus, but we are called to be the best versions of ourselves. This means being willing to better ourselves in body, mind, and spirit so we can carry out God’s Will more perfectly. It means knowing, love, and serving God and others as Jesus did in his life. It means embodying God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace by willingly carrying our crosses and entrusting our spirits to God, who know how best to transform us into his beloved sons and daughters.

Do we offer prayers and supplications to God with reverence and trust? How can we learn to be even more obedient to God in our lives? What can we do to become more and more like Jesus Christ?

O Lord, give us the grace of obedience and save us from death.

Amen.

Palm Sunday

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Adam and Eve gave into the temptation of pride and sought to become like gods. This original sin caused their downfall and it is the same temptation we constantly face in our lives. There are many times when the Devil tries to convince us that we know best and can determine what is good and evil on our own. However, this isn’t something we should be grasping for. It is arrogant to think we know what’s best for us. No. God knows what’s best and if we want to belong to Him, then we have to be willing to let go and let God lead us where we need to be. We have to be willing to become slaves to Christ and humble ourselves just as He did. We must choose to be obedient, even to the point of death on a cross. It might not be the same cross Jesus bore, but each of us needs to die to something in our lives so we can do God’s Will more perfectly.

How can we resist the temptation to make ourselves into gods? What can we do to let go and let God lead us? Are we willing to be humble and obedient even if it requires a great deal of sacrifice from us?

O Lord, we want to empty ourselves of selfishness so you might fill us with your love, mercy, and grace.

Amen.

Fifth Sunday of Lent

In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

During his life, passion, and death, Jesus offered constant prayers and supplications to His Heavenly Father and learned obedience. In a similar way, all of us are called to make our lives into living prayers to God. Our every thought, word, and work should honor and glorify God. We are asked to learn obedience from our sufferings and become more perfect in our love of God and His children. In addition, we are asked to be a source of grace for others, just as Jesus is the source of eternal salvation. We are called to bring others closer to God through our actions and thereby imitate Jesus in every way possible.

Are our lives ones of constant prayer? Have we learned obedience from our sufferings? How can we become sources of God’s Grace for all whom we meet?

O Lord, make us perfect through prayer, obedience, and patient suffering.

Amen.

First Saturday of Lent

Today you are making this agreement with the LORD: he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to his voice. And today the LORD is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the LORD, your God, as he promised.

Every Christian has entered into an agreement with God through our baptism. We have promised to worship Him and Him alone, to walk in His ways, obey his commandments, and listen to His inspirations. In return, God promises to hold a special place for us as His people. He will guide us through life, raise us from the dead, and grant us eternal life with Him in Heaven. All we have to do is live out our baptismal promises, doing His Will in all things by our own choice.

Are we living up to our agreement with God? Have we been harkening to His voice and following His commandments? Do we realize how blessed we are to be His people?

O Lord, help us to live up to our calling to be a sacred people dedicated to you.

Amen.

Second Monday of Ordinary Time

"Does the LORD so delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obedience to the command of the LORD? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission than the fat of rams. For a sin like divination is rebellion, and presumption is the crime of idolatry. Because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he, too, has rejected you as ruler."

Sometimes it is difficult to obey God’s commandments. Our will comes into conflict with His Will when we are tempted by something. We come up with all sorts of excuses to sin or turn our backs on an opportunity to do good. Just like Saul, our excuses do not forgive us for our failures. Our good intentions do not forgive us for doing wrong. God delights in obedience to His commandments. He wants obedience from us even more than fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. He wants submission to His Will more than any sacrifice. We should not presume to know what is best for us, but rather trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who will lead us to lives of holiness and fidelity.

What are the commandments or good works we find most to do? How can we learn to obey God’s Will even when we have excuses not to obey? Are we willing to submit ourselves to God and let Him lead us where we need to be?

O Lord, give us the grace we need to be obedient to you and accept you as the ruler of our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths.

Amen.

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age and Sarah herself was sterile for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.

Sometimes in our lives we have to take leaps of faith. We have to trust God will provide for us and give us what we need to overcome the obstacles in our path and achieve the goals we are being asked to accomplish. We might not know how we will fulfill God’s Will, or when, or where, or what will happen as a result of our actions, but if we trust in the Lord, then we shall receive the power and support we need to succeed.

Are we willing to obey God even when we are uncertain of where we are going or how we will accomplish His Will? Are we willing to allow God to lead us where He wants us to go? Do we trust God enough to put everything we have in His Hands to do with as He wishes?

O Lord, we believe you are trustworthy.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

To him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.

This hymn of praise reminds us of the importance of praying to God for strength. None of us can bear our burdens alone. We need God’s help to keep from collapsing under the weight of our crosses, which are heavy with doubts, fears, anxieties, and all sorts of worldly worries. We need His Love to encourage and support us. We need His Holy Spirit to sustain and uphold us. We are His children and He will help us in every way to become the best people we can be. He will give us graces and talents to see us through every trial and accomplish good works, both great and small. All we have to do is recognize our dependence upon him, humble ourselves before Him in prayer and be obedient to the teachings of Christ and his Church.

Do we pray to God for strength, especially during our daily trials? How can we share our crosses with God more faithfully? What can we do to show God we are willing to submit to His Will?

O Lord, strengthen us.

Amen.

Third Tuesday of Advent

A man of God came to me; he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed.  I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name. But he said to me, “You will be with child and will bear a son. So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb, until the day of his death.”

God calls us all to be consecrated to Him from the womb. He wants us to be His with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. He wants us to listen to Him and obey His commandments and teachings. He wants us to be God-bearing people filled with the Holy Spirit and not with worldly worries and concerns. He wants us to be holy people, willing to live prudently and in full self-control. He wants us to be saints, not sinners... to do good and not evil. He wants to share Himself with each of us so we might share in His Kingdom after our deaths.

Are we living our lives as if they are consecrated to God? How can we live more prudently? In what ways are we keeping ourselves spiritually clean?

O Lord, we consecrate ourselves to you.

Amen.

Second Friday of Advent

I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go. If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea; Your descendants would be like the sand, and those born of your stock like its grains, Their name never cut off or blotted out from my presence.

All of God’s commandments and teachings are for our own good. We might find them difficult to follow, but that doesn’t mean we should disobey them. We might not understand them, but that doesn’t mean we should turn a deaf ear to them. Instead, we should strive to do good and avoid evil because even though it might be hard, it is the right thing to do. Similarly, we should place our faith in God’s teachings in the hopes we shall one day come to an understanding of those teachings we have trouble understanding. By doing these things, we place our trust in God above ourselves. We say, “As you wish, Lord.” And He in turn will give us all the graces we need to prosper in our spiritual journey and have our names written in the book of life.

Do we trust all of God’s commandments and teachings are for our own good, even when they are most difficult to follow? Are we willing to follow God’s Will wherever it will take us? Are we willing to make the leaps of faith we need to in order to go where God is leading us?

O Lord, teach us what is good and lead us to the Promised Land.

Amen.

Thirty-Fourth Saturday of Ordinary Time

But when the court is convened, and his power is taken away by final and absolute destruction, Then the kingship and dominion and majesty of all the kingdoms under the heavens shall be given to the holy people of the Most High, Whose Kingdom shall be everlasting: all dominions shall serve and obey him.

We are all called to serve and obey our Lord and King. He has done so much for each of us from conception through life to our eventual death. He has provided everything we need to grow in faith, hope, and love. He has give us consciences to guide us and grace to sustain us. He has sent us His Beloved Son as a sacrifice for our good and as an example of how to live our lives in accordance with His commandments. He has taught us all we need to know, in order to follow His teachings and live holy lives. He has given us insights into how we can live our lives as saintly people and has inspired us through the Holy Spirit. He is the King of All Holiness and wants us to be His People now and forever more.

In what ways are we serving God? Have we done our best to follow His commandments, live out His teachings, and listen to His inspirations? How can we become better imitators of our King and Savior?

O Lord, you are the Most High. Your Kingdom will last forever.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

Love justice, you who judge the earth; think of the Lord in goodness, and seek him in integrity of heart; Because he is found by those who test him not, and he manifests himself to those who do not disbelieve him. For perverse counsels separate a man from God, and his power, put to the proof, rebukes the foolhardy; Because into a soul that plots evil, wisdom enters not, nor dwells she in a body under debt of sin.

Loving justice means not only embracing the wisdom that leads to right judgment, but living holy lives that reflect that wisdom. Knowing and doing are two different things. We can be wise in thought, but foolish in practice because we do the things we do not want to do. Like Paul we do what we hate in spite of knowing it is wrong. No one is perfect, the key is to be the best we can be by obeying the commandments, following Jesus’ teachings, and listening to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. This means denying our sinful passions, being willing to suffer in order to do what is right and good, and turning our backs on temptations. Only then will our hearts be open enough to receive wisdom, act upon it, and truly love justice.

Are we living wise lives? How can we align our thoughts, words, and works so they are both wise and righteous? What can we do to uproot evil and grow goodness within our hearts?

O Lord, help us to live lives filled with your righteous wisdom.

Amen.

Twenty-Ninth Wednesday of Ordinary Time

Sin must not reign over your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin as weapons for wickedness, but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life and the parts of your bodies to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin is not to have any power over you, since you are not under the law but under grace.

Every day we are tempted to obey our desires over what we know is right. Some days we have the willpower to resist. Other days we fall into temptation and sin. Thankfully, although we fall, we are also given a way to rise up again. Through the life, death, passion, and resurrection of Jesus, we were all given a chance at eternal life and use our bodies as weapons for righteousness. We have only to choose to obey God’s Will above our own and allow Him to lead us where we need to be. We might not follow in Jesus’ footsteps perfectly, but as long as we are contrite for our sins and genuinely wish to amend our lives, then God will find us and lead us back to the right path.

What desires do we obey before God? How can we put God before these wants? What can we do to sharpen our consciences and transform ourselves into weapons of righteousness?

O Lord, we present our bodies to you. Do with them what you will.

Amen.

Twenty-Eighth Monday of Ordinary Time

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an Apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God, which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, the Gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.

We are all called to be slaves of Christ. It is only by turning our lives over completely to God the Father through Jesus and the Holy Spirit that we can experience true freedom. Giving our total obedience to the Holy Trinity and trusting in God’s Divine Providence is something we all must do if we want to live out the Gospel message and give witness to the Christ-like life. Just as Jesus was obedient to the point of death on a cross, so too must we be obedient even to the point of being persecuted for our faith. We might not die as the Son of God did, but we might experience many smaller deaths... to selfishness, to opportunities for worldly advancement, to our relationships with those who might lead us away from God, to earthly riches and success. However, these deaths when united with Christ’s Passion and Death can bring about great good in our lives and lead us to eternal life with our loving God.

Are we willing to become slaves of Christ? How can we live our lives in total obedience and trust in God? Are we willing to die in great and small ways in order to live forever with the Holy Trinity in Heaven?

O Lord, we place our obedience and trust in you, our Divine Master.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient. By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way. But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.

Everyone has parts of us that are earthly and that need to be put to death in order for us to live more fully as Christians. Some of us have immoralities and impurities, which have crept into and darkened our lives. Others have passions, evil desires, and greedy inclinations that lead us away from God’s Way, Truth, and Life. We have sins such as anger, fury, malice, slander, obscenity, and lying which harm ourselves and others in body, mind, and spirit. If we do not root out these evils from our souls, they will grow, choking our virtues and strangling our faith. This is why we must be constantly vigilant against the temptations of this world and instead focus our energies upon putting to death our sins so that we might put on our new selves. It is only when we do this that we are renewed and become more faithful images of our Creator.

What parts of us need to be put to death so that we might live in Christ? How can we cleanse ourselves of all those things that keep us from being remade in the image of God? How can we become more obedient to our Heavenly Father?

O Lord, help us to take off our old selves and put on you.

Amen.

Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter

“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.” And so they were sent on their journey. Upon their arrival in Antioch they called the assembly together and delivered the letter. When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.

God doesn’t burden us beyond the necessities. He wants us to be as free as possible. He wants us to be uniquely Christ and to use our gifts and talents to know, love, and serve Him and His children. He gave us the Ten Commandments, the teachings of Christ, and the traditions of the Church to protect and empower us and not to stifle us. He wants us to do what is right in accordance with our distinctive characters because each of us reflects and magnifies individual aspects of His Divine Image. We do not stop being ourselves when we act in harmony with the Way of Jesus Christ, but rather by acting like him we become more like ourselves. We are the best versions of ourselves when we magnify the Lord, rejoice in our Savior, and give witness to the Love and Mercy of our glorious God.

Have we thanked God for the freedom He has given us? Do we choose to obey His commandments, live out the teachings, and embody the traditions of our faith? How do our lives reflect and magnify the Divine Image?

O Lord, keep us free from evil and lead us to do what is right.

Amen.